Lucky Electric Supply Incorporated

Lucky Electric Supply’s (LES) hand-painted sign, with its scale, script and sans-serif type, truly stands out from the rest. There are at least three hand-painted signs: one facing GE Patterson Avenue (south side) and one on the east and west sides. The behemoth ghost sign, on the building’s east side, takes up a good chunk of the building’s facade and appears to be the oldest of the three. Lucky Electric Supply opened in 1966 and was family-owned until the late ’90s. This signage must be nearly 50 years old.

One thing that makes this sign so beautiful is the artist’s clever use of combining a sans-serif and brush script for effective contrast. The wee four-leaf clover icon, at the bottom of this sign, may not be as important as LES’s name, but who could ignore it? It’s a nice way to reinforce the company’s message.

For more on combining typefaces, read this article from type foundry Hoefler&Co.

I am a graphic designer who specializes in print design and most recently, hand-lettering. When I’m not designing, I moonlight as a professional sign hunter. Yes, it's a real thing. You can see some of my pictures on my Instagram account (@Khara0ke).

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Memphis Type History is a project by Caitlin Horton and Rebecca Phillips. We collect your stories and search out the rumor and lore behind Memphis' greatest signs and best historical places. This is Memphis as Memphians know it.